Attachment devices have been developed for use with portable electric power drills to permit the drill to be used to abrade or sand a workpiece. Typically, the drill must be hand held adjacent the workpiece, and the drill must be moved relative to the workpiece to effect the desired abrading or sanding action. With many workpieces, and especially with small workpieces, this method is not very satisfactory. It is difficult to hold a heavy drill at the precise orientation desired. Further, with small workpieces, it can be difficult to view the portion of the workpiece being sanded when using such a method.
Conventional stationary belt sanding machines or grinding wheel machines eliminate many of these problems. However, many conventional stationary machines of this type are larger, more complex, and more costly than a conventional portable electric power drill. The inventors of the present invention believe that there are many more people in the world today who own a portable electric power drill than who own such stationary sanding or grinding machines. Further, it is believed that many such drill owners would like to have the capability for effecting a stationary sanding or grinding operation but do not wish to purchase an expensive stationary sanding or grinding machine.
It has occurred to the inventors of the present invention that it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for cooperating with a conventional portable electric power drill to accommodate sanding or grinding operations at a stationary location where the orientation of the workpiece can be more easily and precisely controlled.
Further, it would be advantageous if such an apparatus could accommodate the support of a workpiece at a plurality of selected orientations relative to the power drill. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide such an apparatus with the capability for permitting the operator to perform wet, as well as dry, sanding operations. Finally, it would be desirable to provide such an apparatus in a form that could be easily fabricated, assembled, disassembled, and stored.